Prompt neutrino flux in the atmosphere revisited

TL;DR

This paper revisits the calculation of prompt atmospheric neutrino fluxes resulting from cosmic ray interactions, using a QCD framework aligned with recent collider charm data, to improve background estimates for neutrino telescopes.

Contribution

It provides updated predictions for prompt neutrino fluxes based on a QCD model consistent with recent collider data, enhancing background modeling for neutrino detection.

Findings

Predicted prompt neutrino fluxes are consistent with recent collider charm data.

The QCD framework improves the accuracy of atmospheric neutrino background estimates.

Results aid in distinguishing astrophysical neutrinos from atmospheric backgrounds.

Abstract

Prompt neutrino fluxes due to the interactions of high-energy cosmic rays with the Earth's atmosphere are backgrounds in the search for high-energy neutrinos of galactic or extra-galactic origin performed by Very Large Volume Neutrino Telescopes. We summarize our predictions for prompt neutrinos, showing their basic features as emerging from the calculation in a QCD framework capable of describing recent charm data from the Large Hadron Collider.